


Moon Moon

by JohnlockAndATardis, keepcalmimspidey



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Slow Burn, Supernatural Elements, depictions of drug use, depictions of violence, stoner emma, supernatural community, werewolf regina
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-27
Updated: 2019-02-06
Packaged: 2019-03-24 20:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 9,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13819137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JohnlockAndATardis/pseuds/JohnlockAndATardis, https://archiveofourown.org/users/keepcalmimspidey/pseuds/keepcalmimspidey
Summary: Emma Swan is a typical stoner. One night while smoking outside, she hears what seems to be a vicious animal attack and goes into the woods to help what she thinks is an injured dog only to get sucked into the world of the supernatural.Chapters from both Emma and Regina's POV.





	1. Emma to the Rescue

Emma stood on her parents back porch, bouncing slightly because of the chilly wind blowing on her bare legs. Music was pumping through her headphones as she lifted the pipe up to her mouth and lit the weed in the bowl. She inhaled deeply, letting the flavor roll over her tongue. She held it in for a minute before slowly breathing out. Her green eyes watched the smoke curl through the air before the wind hurried it away into the dark. 

She leaned over and grabbed her soda, taking a quick sip before returning it to the table. She looked out into the darkness of the backyard before glancing up to see if there were any stars visible. She sighed in contentment as she spotted a handful of stars shining through the misty clouds. 

Stargazing while smoking was one her favorite things to do. It made her feel all philosophical. She took another hit and while she held it in, her eyes scanned the tree line at the back of the yard. She got so paranoid about creatures coming out of the darkness and catching her unaware. She knew it was ridiculous to think like that, but her imagination got the best of her when she smoked. Plus, who doesn’t fantasize about that sort of thing actually happening? Emma snorted in amusement.  
Another song came on and Emma pulled her phone out of her pocket to change it. As she scrolled through a playlist her ears strained in the quiet. That’s when she heard it. A high-pitched howl sounded from nearby.

Emma froze, her eyes going wide as she stared into the darkness. She slowly backed towards the door prepared to flee inside. As she stepped back she tucked her smoking supplies into her pockets. The howl cut off and was replaced by yelps of pain. Then loud snarls and the snapping of teeth. It sounded like a dog fight.  
Emma paused as her fear drained away. If there was a dog being attacked, she had to help it, right? She listened for another minute as the noises grew more intense and then suddenly went quiet. Shit. She slowly made her way down the stairs and as she walked across the yard, she kept her eyes peeled and ears on high alert. As she approached the tree line, she could hear faint whimpering coming from her left. She paused to listen before moving towards the noise. 

She was careful as she got closer. An injured animal -even a dog- would be likely to attack if it felt threatened. A twig snapped under her foot and she froze. It was a minute before she moved again, slowly but surely closing the distance between herself and the injured animal.  
Emma walked into the outskirts of a small clearing. Green eyes rapidly assessed the scene before her. A large black and white wolf was laying on the ground at the base of the tree. It’s bright yellow eyes were trained on her and its lips were pulled back over its teeth as it snarled. Emma put her hands up. 

“Hey there buddy. I came to help you out, so I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t eat me.” She said. The wolf continued to stare at her but stopped snarling. Emma breathed out in relief and continued quietly speaking to the wolf. “You’re really pretty. Wonder what happened to you…” Emma took one step at a time towards the frightened creature.  
When she was about five feet away, it growled at her. She stopped once more and with a better view of the wolf began assessing the beast’s injuries. There were bite marks covering the wolf’s neck, belly, and legs and they were all oozing bright red blood. 

“Damn. That looks fucking painful.” Green eyes moved up to meet yellow ones. She could see the pain in those eyes and had to stop herself from rushing to the wolf and trying to comfort it. “Alright, wolfy. Here’s the deal. I’m going to fix you up, but I need to run inside and grab a first aid kit. Just stay here.” She glanced at the wolf as she turned and rushed through the brush back to her house.


	2. Emma to the Rescue part 2

As Emma burst through the back door, her parents looked over at her from the living room; her father’s attention quickly returned to the TV though. Her mother looked at her with mild concern.

“Emma, is everything all right? What have you been doing out there?”

Emma chuckled as she headed for her bedroom. “You mean other than my usual activities?” Mary Margaret gave her daughter an unimpressed look. “Everything is fine. I just found an injured wolf and I’m going to patch it up.” Emma disappeared down the hall as her mom sat in stunned silence. 

“Did you just say you found an injured wolf and that you’re planning on ‘patching it up’?” Mary asked as Emma exited her room, gently closing the door behind her. 

Emma smiled as she tossed the small first aid kit from hand-to-hand. “Yup! I’ll be back in a little while!” She was out the back door before Mary could respond. It didn’t take as long to find the wolf on her return trip and she sighed in relief when she saw it laid out in the same spot by the tree. Its eyes landed on her the moment she stepped foot into the clearing and Emma slowed her pace. 

“Told you I’d be back. I have the first aid kit.” She showed the small bag to the wolf as if to reassure it that she only wanted to help. The only part of it that moved as she made her cautious approach was its eyes. They followed Emma’s every move and she found it a bit unnerving. 

When she was only a foot away, Emma knelt next to the beast and carefully set down the bag. The wolf watched as she unzipped it and shuffled through the supplies looking for gauze wraps. She found two and held them up with a smile before frowning. “I should probably try to clean those bites first, huh?” She studied the wolf’s injuries for a few minutes considering the pros and cons of attempting to clean out the wounds. “Maybe not though. I’d rather not piss you off or cause you more pain.”

Emma carefully reached out and laid a hand on one of the wolf’s paws; wrapping her fingers around the soft fur she placed the large paw on her thigh and began winding the gauze around the still oozing wounds. “There’s one done. How do you feel about moving so I can get your other leg?” Emma looked into the wolf’s eyes as she spoke, and it stared at her for a moment before slowly getting to its feet. It turned around and promptly return to laying on the ground. Emma repeated the process, inspecting her handiwork. “There you go! I think that’s all I can really do for you.” 

She quickly packed up the first aid kit and got to her feet. She studied the wolf still resting and wondered if she should call animal control to come get it. She’d hate to leave it out here and have it die during the night. 

She hummed quietly to herself as she thought over her options, before finally moving towards the wolf’s head. “Hey buddy, you want to come home with me? I’ll feed you and keep you safe til morning.”

Yellow eyes squinted at the blonde for a moment before the wolf sneezed and hauled itself to its feet once more. Emma watched as the lithe body stretched out, the muscles visibly flexing beneath the fur. After stretching and then shaking out its fur, the wolf turned to Emma as if waiting for her to lead the way. 

Emma smiled as she led the way into the brush towards home.


	3. Home Sweet Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the ridiculously long wait. I've been lazy since the spring semester ended.

The walk back to Emma’s house was a quiet one. Emma kept a cautious eye on the animal taking note of the beast’s vigilance. She wondered momentarily about what had happened to cause such injuries and wariness.

The wolf’s head whipped around at the sound of a distant howl, lips curling slightly up over large pointed teeth. Emma swiveled and silently observed the woods in the direction of the howling wolf. She remained tense until her companion shook its head and turned to look at her expectantly.

Emma raised a brow at the wolf’s behavior but turned and continued leading the way to the safety of her house.

As they broke through the tree line the wolf hesitated, a low whine escaping its muzzle. Emma kept walking after making sure the wolf was okay, calling out behind her, “Come on. Its safe. I won’t let anything happen to you.” Emma climbed up the porch steps two at a time and paused with her hand on the door handle. She turned to see if the beast had followed and was pleased to see the wolf slowly ascending the stairs.

The handle turned easily and the door swung open. Everything was quiet inside. Emma let out a sigh of relief. She wouldn’t have to explain anything tonight. She waved to the wolf to enter and patiently waited as it crept through the door, ears up and nose working to sniff out any danger. Once inside and sure that there was no danger the wolf sat back on its haunches and looked at Emma.

Emma smiled. “This way, wolfy. You can crash downstairs. There will be plenty of room for you and no one will bother you.” The pair headed down to the basement and Emma quickly gathered some old pillows and blankets and made a bed in a corner. “You get comfy and I’ll go find something you can eat.”

The blonde disappeared up the staircase as the wolf began examining the basement. The blonde returned a few minutes later with a plate stacked high with sliced meat. “I have turkey, chicken and roast beef.” She pointed at each one as she named it and then set the plate down near the pile of bedding. “Oh!” Emma exclaimed, snapping her fingers. “I almost forgot to give you water!” She hurried to another part of the basement and returned with a bowl full of water that was set next to the food.

“Okay. Good. Eat and rest. I’ll be down in the morning to check on you, wolfy.” Emma gave the beast one last smile before heading to bed.


	4. The Morning After

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Emma groaned at the annoyingly loud alarm and reached over to shut it up. She rolled onto her back and stretched out before rolling out of bed. She dressed quickly before heading to the bathroom for her morning routine. 

"Morning!" Emma said cheerily as she entered the kitchen. Her parents were sitting at the table munching on eggs and toast. 

"Hey honey." Her dad said with a smile. 

"I left you a plate on the counter, Emma." Mary said. 

"Oh thanks! I'm starving!" Emma brought the plate to the table and scarfed down her breakfast; her parents watching her with amusement. 

"So, Emma. What happened last night?" David asked.

Emma looked up, her eyebrows knit together in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Mary and David exchanged a look. "Honey, you came in and said you were rescuing a wolf."

Emma's eyes went wide as she remembered her adventure from the night before. "Crap." She leapt up from the table and dashed to the basement, eyes going to the corner were she had left the large black wolf. She did a double take as her parents followed her downstairs. There was nothing there. Not even the bed she made. Now she was definitely confused. She looked at her parents and shrugged. "I guess I smoked more than I realized last night..." They chuckled and headed back to the kitchen.

"Come on, Emma. You have class soon, right?"

Emma sighed and nodded. "Yea. I have my first class at 10."

"Well, alright then. Have fun! Tell Ruby we said hi and that we expect to see her for dinner soon!" Mary said as she gave her daughter a hug. 

"I'll see you guys later!"

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Emma pulled into a parking spot and gathered her school bag. Ruby was already waiting for her inside and Emma could not wait to tell her about the wolf. She swung the strap over her shoulder and headed for the main door. Once inside, she spotted Ruby and made her way to her friend. "Hey!!" Emma wrapped her slightly taller friend in a bear hug. 

"Hey Emma!" Ruby replied as she squeezed back. "What happened to you last night? You just stopped responding to my messages."

"I had a bit of an adventure. I'll tell you about it after class. Also, you're coming to my place for dinner tonight."

Ruby shrugged. "Alright sounds good to me."

The girls continued to talk as they headed to class.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

After they were released from class, Emma and Ruby spent the afternoon hanging out in Emma's room. The blonde filling her friend in on the previous night's adventure. 

"No fucking way." Ruby was staring at Emma in disbelief. 

"Yes fucking way. It was huge and black and beautiful. I still can't believe it let me touch it. Or that it actually followed me home. Pretty bizarre huh?"

"Bizarre doesn't begin to cover it. Wolves aren't really known to hang out around here. Add in the unusual behavior and I think we have a mystery on our hands."

Emma snorted. "A mystery? What are we? The Scooby Gang?"

They both laughed at that before Ruby replied, "No. We aren't the Scooby Gang, however, as someone planning on being a wolf conservationist I plan to take this seriously. I mean, this is huge!"

The blonde shrugged. "Maybe, but you're forgetting that it disappeared before I got up this morning. Not a single sign it was even in the house."

Ruby hummed. "True. I think we should go out tonight and see if we can find it!"

Emma looked at her friend for a moment before nodding her head. "Okay. We'll have to wait until after dinner though. My parents have been missing your ugly mug!" Emma laughed as Ruby shoved her.

"This ugly mug is easier to look at than yours!" Emma just kept laughing.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

"Girls! Dinner is ready!" Mary called down the hall. A couple minutes later the girls emerged still laughing about whatever they had been discussing. "Ruby! Its so good to see you again, honey!" Mary hugged the tall brunette and left a kiss on her cheek.

"Always good to see you too, Mary!" Ruby replied with a grin. "Where's David?"

"He's running a bit late. Work was busy today." Mary shrugged and walked to the table. "He asked that we not wait for him, so lets dig in!" Emma and Ruby both claimed seats and began piling their plates up with mashed potatoes, carrots and chicken. They moaned with delight at the first taste. 

"MM!! This is soo good Mary!" Ruby said around a mouthful of potato covered chicken. Emma enthusiastically nodded her agreement as she shoveled more carrots into her mouth.

David arrived home as they were finishing the clean up. Emma and Ruby were washing and drying dishes while Mary packed up the leftovers and placed them in the fridge. They all looked up as he walked in. There was a chorus of heys as they greeted one another and Mary took a plate of food out of the fridge. "Here you go honey. You'll just need to microwave it for a couple minutes."

"Thank you, Mary." David said with a tired smile as he kissed his wife on the cheek. "You know I always appreciate your cooking."

While her parents were distracted, Emma and Ruby snuck back to Emma's bedroom and began planning their wolf hunt.


	5. Wolf Hunt Part One

Emma tossed Ruby a small flashlight."One for you and one for me! What else do you think we'll need?"

Ruby took a moment to think it over. "Maybe a first aid kit? We'll both have our phones. I don't think we need anything else." Ruby's hazel eyes tracking the blonde's movements as she dug around for her first aid kit. Emma held up a small blue bag victoriously before shoving it in her backpack. "Alright, lets go!" Emma followed Ruby to the backyard before stopping her.

"Hold on! I wanna smoke first." Emma explained as she pulled out a thick joint.

Ruby laughed. "Alright Shaggy. Smoke your joint."

After getting the tip lit, Emm asked, "If I'm Shaggy, does that make you Scooby?"

Ruby laughed and responded, "Nah babe. I'm totally a mix of Daphne and Velma. I've got Daphne's looks and Velma's brains!" Emma nodded in agreement.

"True. Maybe the wolf is like my scooby." Emma suggested between puffs.

"No. Absolutely not. You are not calling the wolf scooby, Emma." Ruby stated firmly.

The blonde sighed dramatically. "Fine. What should I call it? Last night I just called it wolfy."

Ruby snorted. "Seriously? Wolfy? I have to be honest, Emma, stoned you is not very creative."

Emma scoffed. "Whatever. What would you call it then?"

"I don't know. Something strong though." They grew silent as they contemplated names for a wolf. That is, until Emma started laughing hysterically.

"Oh my god! What if- What if we called it Moon Moon?" Emma managed to get out breathlessly as she continued laughing. Ruby erupted into giggles at the suggestion.

"That is oddly fitting. I hate that its from a meme, but its fucking hilarious."

"So we're agreed? The wolf shall be called Moon Moon!" Emma declared as she put out the roach she was holding. "Alright, lets go find Moon Moon!"

They continued laughing as they headed towards the spot where Emma had discovered the injured wolf. Emma swung her arms around in a grand gesture as they entered the small clearing. "This is where I found it."

Ruby nodded and began examining the area, occasionally asking questions. "Where exactly was it?" Emma silently pointed to the spot under the tree where she had tended to the wolf's wounds. After about twenty minutes, Ruby finally seemed satisfied. "Alright, it looks like it came from that direction." She pointed East. "Shall we see what we can find?"

"Hell yea! Lead the way!" 

The girls slowly tracked the wolf's path until they reached another clearing. They stopped short at the sight. The grass was covered in what could only be blood and there were broken branches dangling from trees all around the clearing. 

"Daaamn. Something bad happened." Emma murmured, glancing at Ruby who was also shocked.

"No shit. It looks like there was a fight and given the amount of blood, there were more than two wolves involved. Not sure what to think about all the busted up trees though." Ruby looked curiously at the damaged trees before turning back to the center of the meadow. She walked forward intent on a closer examination and was rewarded with several large distinct wolf prints. "Shit. You weren't kidding about it being big!" Ruby exclaimed as she looked at the large paw prints.

Emma hummed as she stood off to the side glancing around the edges of the meadow. She had an uneasy feeling that they weren't alone. "Hey, Rubes, do you see or hear anything?" Emma asked quietly, the brunette immediately picking up on her friend's unease. Hazel eyes scanned their surroundings as ears focused on the sounds of nature. 

After a moment, Ruby leaned over to whisper in Emma's ear. "There. Behind that weird looking tree." Emma's eyes darted to the spot and as she focused she could make out the outline of a large creature and a pair of slightly glowing eyes.

"Shit."


	6. Wolf Hunt Part Two

"Shit."

The girls stood frozen as they stared into the shadows hoping that they were both simply seeing things.

"Please tell me that isn't what I think it is." Ruby murmured.

"I wish I could, Rubes." Emma replied. "What do we do now?" She glanced at her friend who was looking more nervous by the second. 

"Umm... Honestly, I can't think right now. Maybe if we just slowly back away? Or just act like we didn't see it in the first place?"

Emma placed a hand on Ruby's shoulder to offer a bit of comfort. "Okay. Lets try backing up and see what happens. Move slow though." Ruby nodded and they both took a slow step toward the spot they entered the clearing. They froze again as the shadow moved. Emma took a deep breath before braving another step back, gently dragging Ruby with her. Another few slow steps placed them a few feet from the tree line. The girls looked at each other before slowly turning their backs on the creature and walking back the way they had come. They didn't hear anything following them so continued swiftly back to the first clearing. 

They paused there to get a drink and check the time. It was then that Emma noticed the shadow lurking once more. She nudged Ruby with her elbow and whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "It's still following us." 

Ruby looked uncomfortable and said, "Nothing we can really do about it except get to the safety of the house."

Emma's eyes were still focused on the hulking shadow as she replied, "Alright lets move."

They didn't bother with slow steps, they simply walked away. They stayed vigilant though and remained aware of the creature's presence. When they made it back to the porch, they turned to see if it had followed them past the trees. It didn't, but they could see it prowling along the back edge of the yard. Emma watched the shadow for a few minutes before muttering, "I wonder..."

Ruby looked at her friend. "You wonder what?"

"Whatever that thing is, it could have easily killed us. Instead it followed us home."

"Ah. You think it might be the wolf from last night?"

Emma nodded as she took a step back into the yard. Ruby grabbed her bicep halting her progress. "Emma! You can't just walk out there! You don't even know if its the same wolf!"

Emma shrugged. "There's only one way to find out." She walked towards the trees determined not to show how afraid she actually was. She stopped about ten feet from the tree line and looked around until she spotted the glowing eyes to her left. She stared hard at the spot for a few minutes before calling out. "Hey there... Please don't kill me." As she spoke a snout poked out of the brush followed by a large black head. Emma sighed. It was the wolf. She turned and smiled at Ruby. "Its the same wolf! Come on! Come get a closer look!" The blonde turned and jumped. While she was speaking the wolf had gotten much closer and was sitting only a couple feet away staring intently at her. "Well hey there, Moon Moon." The wolf cocked its head, its ears perking up towards Emma. "You disappeared this morning." She said watching the wolf. "And now you followed me home like a stray dog!" The wolf growled a bit at that and Emma quickly apologized. "Sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean it like that." The growling stopped but only for a moment. The wolf was now focused on something behind Emma.

She saw Ruby slowly approaching in her peripheral vision and put her hands out in a placating gesture to the wolf. " Hey, it's okay. That's just my friend Ruby. She loves wolves and would never hurt one." The growling stopped again, but the wolf kept its keen gaze on Ruby even as she came to a stop just behind Emma.

Ruby's eyes were huge as she took in the full form of the wolf before her. "Gorgeous." Emma chuckled. "It's a female. Fairly young. Looks like those injuries you patched up are already healing up." She continued her assessment silently, nodding every once in a while. Emma just smiled at her friend's excitement. 

A howl sounded from deep in the woods and the large black wolf cringed at the noise. Before running off, the wolf approached Emma and dragged its tongue up her cheek leaving a trail of saliva. Both girls stood wide eyed with shock as they watched the fluffy black tail disappear back into the shadows.


	7. Lost Part One

 A few weeks had passed since their last encounter with Moon Moon.

 

Emma had been missing her furry new friend and Ruby still couldn't stop gushing about what a beautiful specimen she was. They had both formed quick attachments to the beast and found themselves craving her company. They had also found themselves discussing the odd wolf kiss that Emma had received. Neither one of them really knew what to make of it, but they had a theory that Moon Moon was more intelligent than the average wolf and the lick was meant as a thank you for the care Emma had given her.

 

"We should go out again." Ruby said as she spun in slow circles in Emma's computer chair. Emma was lounging on her bed playing a game on her phone.

 

"We could, but we've been going out a lot and we haven't spotted her once. Maybe we should give it a break. For all we know, she'll come to us." Emma said, her eyes never leaving her phone. She wouldn't admit it, but she was actually quite worried. She could only hope that Moon Moon was safe somewhere and would come visit again when she could. Until then, she had homework to do, a job to go to, and friends to hang out with.

 

"Yea... I guess you have a good point, Emma." Ruby said with a dissatisfied frown.

 

Emma glanced over at Ruby and frowned. "I do have a point, but if you really want to go out again we can go." The blonde sat up as she spoke, setting her phone down next to her.

 

Ruby contemplated the offer for a minute before turning a shining smile on her friend. "I want to go out!"

 

"Alright then. Let's get our stuff together and head out."

 

They quickly packed their bags and left the house. They walked down the now familiar trail that led to both of the meadows where they had seen Moon Moon. They had developed a system. They would start at the second clearing and branch out from there looking for any signs of Moon Moon and other wolves. They had searched the trails to the West and North and planned to start checking out the Eastern trails.

Emma shivered as she remembered that first night she was out here. The howl that had echoed through the woods that night and set Moon Moon on edge had come from the East. Emma hoped that they wouldn't run into any trouble. 

When they finally reached the second clearing they turned East and after taking a couple minutes to discuss their options, they chose a trail that headed to the NorthEast. Emma made sure to mention the howl that she had heard from this direction so that Ruby could also remain vigilant to potential danger. They were both slightly on edge as the trees gradually became denser, blocking more and more sunlight from reaching them. 

"Ugh. This is starting to remind me of those cheesy horror movies and we are the idiots exploring were we shouldn't." Emma grumbled as she hopped over a log. 

Ruby chuckled. "Well then lucky me that I run faster than you!" Emma shot a glare at the brunette and punched her bicep. Ruby stuck out her tongue. They continued their trek for a few more hours before deciding to rest. They found a large willow tree to relax under and passed around a bag of snacks. "Do you think we'll ever find anything out here?" Ruby asked wistfully, eyes scanning the surrounding woods. 

Emma sighed. "I don't know, Rubes. I certainly hope so." Another sigh escaped her as she packed the food back into her bag and stood. "I think we should probably head back though. It's getting late and I don't want to run into anything in the dark."

"Yea. Let's get going." The girls walked through the willow branches back to the path they had been on. Except, there was no path. "What the hell?"

"Ok. There was totally a path here!" Emma exclaimed as she did a quick circle around the tree looking for the non-existent walkway. "Shit. Ruby, could you lead us home?" Emma asked hopefully.

"Emma, I am not a dog despite what you may think." Ruby said with a humorous smile. "But I think we came from that direction." 

"It's worth a shot." Emma shrugged and began walking in the direction Ruby had gestured to. 


	8. Lost Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the ridiculously long wait! Between three jobs and college I've been strapped for free time. I tried making this one longer for you! Enjoy!

The sun had set an hour ago and the girls were still trying to find their way back to Emma's house. Ruby stopped suddenly with a thoughtful look on her face. 

"Hey, Em, what if one of us climbs a tree to get an idea of where we are?"

Emma considered the idea for a moment before nodding and replying, "Sounds like the best plan we've got. Which tree do you wanna climb?"

Ruby scoffed. "Who said I was going to be the one climbing?" They both laughed and began to search for the tallest tree they could find. It didn't take long before they came upon a towering tree that stood about 60 feet tall. Emma whistled as she glanced towards the top branches.

"Guess I'm up." She rubbed her hands together before getting a running start to launch herself up towards a low hanging branch. Her long fingers wrapped around the branch and she easily hauled herself up into the branches. Green eyes scanned the branches for a minute, plotting a tentative course up. It took ten minutes for Emma to reach the top. She twisted around to get a 360 degree view. They were closer than they had realized and at a quick pace they could return to the comfort of Emma's bedroom in about forty minutes. She chuckled and started carefully maneuvering herself down through the cluster of branches. About twenty feet from the ground Emma called out to Ruby.

"Ruby! Dude we're a lot closer than we thought! Only like another forty minutes." The area at the base of the tree was silent as death and Emma began to worry. "Ruby?" As Emma was preparing to swing herself off a low branch she heard a hiss from the side of the tree. She hesitated as her eyes tried to see in the darkness enveloping her. "Ruby?"

"Stay in the tree, Emma." Ruby whispered hoarsely. Emma still couldn't see her friend but pulled herself back onto the branch.

"What the hell is going on?!" Emma murmured frantically. Her eyes were darting around desperate for a bit of light to illuminate the situation. 

"There's a fucking wolf over there. It's been sitting there for like ten minutes just staring our way."

Emma's brows scrunched in confusion. "It's not Moon Moon?"

"No. This one is bigger. A lot bigger." Ruby exhaled shakily.

"Shit. What the hell are we supposed to do?"

"We try to scare it. Shout at it. Throw shit at it. Whatever we do though, we can't stare it down and absolutely cannot turn our backs on it." Ruby rapidly explained as she slowly bent down to pick up whatever was within reach. "Emma, maybe if you shake the branches and yell it'll scare it off."

"It's worth a shot." Emma positioned herself within the branches and began pushing and pulling the branches around her body. "AHHHHHH!!!! YOU DUMB DOG! FUCK OFF! AHHHHHHHHH!!" Emma continued until she heard a loud growl and Ruby call out to her.

"Stop! It's only pissing it off." 

Emma could hear the panic in her friends voice and decided to join Ruby on the ground. The moment her feet hit the ground she knew she fucked up. She could hear the sound of large paws hitting the ground rapidly, one after the other. She looked up and finally met the wide fear-filled brown eyes of her closest friend.

* * *

 

Emma groaned as she came to. She cracked her eyes open and peered around her. She was in the hospital and her entire body hurt. Her hand fumbled around in search of the call button. She found it on her left side and didn't hesitate to hit the button anxiously awaiting the arrival of a nurse.

It took about five minutes before a tall blonde woman in purple scrubs came in and began checking Emma over. "Good to see you awake honey. How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I got hit by a train." Emma mumbled.

The nurse chuckled. "Not quite. You were attacked by a wolf."

Emma's eyes darted up to the woman's in a panic. "My friend?!"

The nurse lay a hand on her shoulder comfortingly. "She's fine. Young lady was in here all day sitting with you."

Emma let out a relieved sigh and slumped back onto the bed. "Any chance I can get something for the pain?"

"Of course honey." The nurse pushed a few buttons on a machine next to the bed. "There you go. Give it a few minutes to kick in. If you need anything else push the call button. I'll be here all night." With a final smile, the woman left the room and Emma drifted into a painless slumber.

* * *

 

_A sharp jolting pain shot through her shoulder as she was forced to the ground under the weight of a great beast. An agonized scream ripped its way out of her throat as the wolf shook its head viciously from side to side. It was as if the creature was determined to rip apart at the seams. Her vision was black and she could hear only her own sounds of pain. A giant paw pushed her face into the dirt as the wolf repositioned its muzzle on her shoulder and the claws of another paw tore down her back. She could feel the hot blood seeping out her wounds and salty tears streaming down her face.There was nothing she could do. The wolf had her pinned under its massive weight. Her breathes came faster and shallower. She was going to die. She was going to DIE!_

Emma woke with a start, heart thumping wildly in her chest. She rubbed at her eyes and took a few deep calming breathes. "Just a stupid dream," she mumbled to herself. After successfully slowing down her heart rate, Emma found the call button once more and summoned the nurse.

It was a dark haired woman this time. She came in with a wide smile and introduced herself as Belle. "What can I do for you, Emma?"

"Nice to meet you, Belle! I'm starving! I'd really appreciate it if I could get breakfast." Emma requested hopefully.

Belle chuckled. "Ruby did mention you had quite the appetite. I'll see what the kitchen can send up for you."

Emma grinned happily. "Awesome! You're the best! When did you meet Ruby though?"

"She was here when I arrived this morning. She mentioned an errand she needed to run, but said to tell you that she'll see you soon!" Belle replied with a kind smile.

Emma nodded. "Alright cool. Thanks!"

Belle disappeared and Emma was left alone once more. Her mind wandered back to the horrifying dream that had woken her so brutally. She shuddered at the ghost feeling of warm blood spreading across her skin. She felt the fear raise in her as she continued thinking about it and frowned.

"Emma!!" Ruby screeched excitedly running across the room to wrap her arms around the surprised blonde. Emma quickly put all thoughts of the attack in a box and buried it in the recesses of her mind. She smiled as she allowed Ruby to fuss over her. 


	9. Home Again

The day had finally arrived! Emma happily stuffed her dirty clothes into her bag as she thought of home. A shower. She desperately wanted to take a nice hot shower in her own bathroom. She missed the smell of her own shampoo. She zipped her bag shut as the nurse came in with a wheelchair.

"Ready to go?" asked the nurse with a pleasant smile.

Emma glared at the chair but knew it was hospital policy so didn't protest, simply plopped down into the wheeled contraption with a sigh. "Ready when you are." 

The nurse chuckled and rolled Emma towards the elevators. Emma waved goodbye to Belle as they passed the nurse's station. "Bye Belle! It was nice meeting you!"

Belle grinned and returned the wave. "Same to you, Emma! Tell Ruby I'll call her later."

Mary Margaret and David had left a few minutes before to pull the car up to the main entrance. Emma spotted the light blue car through the lobby windows and laughed. Ruby was outside waiting with Mary and David holding a bunch of brightly colored balloons. Once they had reached the threshold of the hospital Emma glanced back at the nurse questioningly. The nurse gave her an amused smile and nodded. Emma leapt out of the wheelchair and headed towards the car.

Emma chuckled as she checked out the balloons. It was an odd mix of ones that said congrats and ones that had random pictures on them. She even spotted one with a small cat wearing a pointed birthday hat. "How about we stick those in the back and go get some food?"

"We have food ready at home." said Mary with a soft smile. 

David nodded. "Yup! We made a buffet just for you kid!"

Emma grinned. "You guys are the best! I love you!" She threw her arms around her parents before ushering everyone into the vehicle. 

 

* * *

 

Mary and David had definitely put a lot of effort into making dinner. There was fruit salad, actual salad, mashed potatoes and gravy, broccoli, and steak. Not to mention whatever Ruby had put together for dessert. Emma's mouth watered at the sight of the food, but decided that a shower came first on her list of priorities. She felt gross after the long hospital stay.

"Wow! It looks amazing! If its okay with you guys though, I want to take a shower before we eat." She looked between her parents and Ruby and they all told her to go ahead and get clean, they could wait a bit longer. She smiled and quickly made her way to her room. She dropped her bag on the unmade bed before rummaging through her drawers for clean clothes. 

Once in the bathroom, Emma turned the shower temperature up as hot as she thought she could handle before stripping. As she removed each piece of clothing she took careful note of every new scar that blemished her skin. She had to use the full length mirror to see the ones on her back and gasped when they came into view. Long thick white lines ran down her back from where the wolf's claws had dug in and there were rows of white dots from where she had been bitten. She lightly ran her hand over the ones she could reach and noticed that most of them were raised. 

Emma tore her eyes away from her now steamy reflection and stepped into the shower. A relieved sigh escaped her as the hot water began soothing the ache that thrummed throughout her body. She took her time shampooing and conditioning her hair, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere until the water started to run cool. Quickly, Emma turned off the water and stepped out onto the rug. A shiver ran through her as she reached for her towel. She dried and dressed before searching for her hair dryer and flicking it on. 

Ten minutes later, Emma strolled into the living room, clean and in fresh clothes. Her parents and Ruby were sitting on the wrap-around couch watching tv. 

"What are we watching?" Emma asked as she moved to sit between her dad and Ruby.

David glanced over with a smile. "The Han Solo movie."

Emma hummed quietly and settled onto the cushion more comfortably. 

 

* * *

 

 

Once the credits rolled on the movie, the group stood and stretched before heading to the kitchen to set up the little buffet. It didn't take long until they were all sat around the table scooping food onto their plates. Emma finished her first plate in half the time as everyone else and sat back to let it settle in her stomach.

"So dad, I was thinking and I can't figure out how the wolf didn't kill me or get to Ruby."

David looked up, studying his daughter for a moment before answering. "Well, when you and Ruby hadn't come back after a few hours your mom told me to go look for you. We knew you two didn't have your phones and we were concerned. I had only been out searching for about a half hour when I heard you screaming." He paused and took a deep breath. "As soon as I heard you, I ran as fast as I could. When I got there the wolf was on top of you. I did the only thing I could think of and yelled at it. I found some pine cones and threw them at it. Ruby joined in then and between the two of us we managed to scare it off."

The table was quiet as Emma processed her father's story. "And the wolf? It's still out there?" she asked in a whisper.

The other three exchanged nervous glances. "Yes. The wolf is still out there. Authorities have been tracking it since the night of the attack. They'll alert us when they catch it."

The rest of the night remained rather somber as everyone was plagued by thoughts of the wolf.

Emma decided to go to bed early and bid everyone goodnight. She walked to her room not even bothering to turn the light on, she headed right for her bed. She crawled under the blankets, tossing and turning until she was comfy. Emma lay in bed, wide awake, for hours. Her ears picked up on every little sound and her eyes roamed the room, focusing on the shadowed corners and window. She was comforted by the sounds of her parents milling around the kitchen, but sleep resisted her. 

A heavy sighed passed her lips and she tossed off the blankets, climbed out of bed and went into the bathroom. She flicked on the light and stood at the sink. She splashed her face with some cool water before studying her face in the mirror. She was starting to look like a racoon, deep dark circles around her dull green eyes. There was a soft hand towel next to the sink that she used to dry her face. With another sigh she headed back to bed. 

Sleep finally came and Emma's dreams were haunted by dark hair and chocolate colored eyes. 


	10. Interlude - A Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was written by JohnlockAndATardis and is from Regina's POV. Hope you enjoy!

Something was amiss. The wolf raised her head, her white muzzle darkened with her most recent feeding. There was a strange smell in the air – her fur bristled, and a low growl escaped her, rumbling up from deep inside. She knew that smell – it was of the wolf who had attacked her. The rogue one.

From the density of trees there came a great, hulking figure of the matriarchal wolf, eyes bright and intelligent, falling upon her. In its mouth there was a scrap of fabric. The black and white wolf approached her larger, golden-brown counterpart, and took it up delicately. It was a scrap off of what looked to be a shirt, and when Regina lowered her nose she caught another bouquet upon it. The sharp, artificial perfume of human things, their soaps and their shampoos, the sweetness of a burned herb, and something deeper, something richer – the distinct footprint of a human’s smell. The girl, the blonde one who had found her. The shirt was saturated with her blood.

The wolf’s great head lifted, snarl shifting into a howl that carried throughout the woods. Soon she was at the center of a gathering of her people, curious eyes upon her. Regina arched her back, and her fur begin to ripple, a queer violet light encompassing her body. The onlooking wolves watched, displaying no signs of registering the queerness, as the wolf before them rose to two feet, and was human. She was of average human stature, newly crossing the threshold towards human adulthood and lean but strong in figure. A moment later the brown wolf shifted, and became the figure of a woman at her side. It was she, and not the girl clearly her daughter, who turned to address the assembly.

“There is trouble in these woods. We have much which we need to discuss.”

-

Regina hesitated, lingering for a moment in the shadows of the corridor, no wider than the space it would take for two nurses and a gurney to be squeezed tightly though. The fluorescent lights strained her eyes, the sterility of the hospital only just masking the stench of death that she didn’t even need her wolfy nose to sense.

 _Wolfy._ She huffed, recalling the reason that she was here. The human girl who had saved her, when most would have left her for dead or otherwise ended her themselves, seen her as a danger. Regina caught the smell of other wolves and followed it, left through a set of double doors, slinking into the girl’s room. She wasn’t unattended – a young woman lay slouched in one of the yellow hospital chairs, covered with her jacket, black hair spilling over her shoulders. This one she’d seen before. Ruby. Like the other occupant, she was fast asleep.

The girl on the bed was near to her age, Regina realized as she drew closer, pupils shifting to adjust to the darkness of the room. Her eyes were shut, she could not see their color, just as she could not in her shifted form. Regina had taken great risk to come here, as she was now, upon two legs to visit this girl. Silently she stepped closer, warily eyeing the assortment of tubes and monitors to which the girl was attached. Human hospitals made her nervous, made her heart race in her chest.

Upon the bed, the girl stirred for a moment, the blonde veil that hung over her face falling to the side as she shifted this way, then that. For a second she was still, and Regina stood paralyzed, counting her breaths. Two, three, four seconds. _She shouldn’t be here, she should go_. Regina turned, and it was then that she heard movement again upon the bed. Stopping in her tracks, Regina dared to turn.

The girl’s eyes were green as the forest and locked onto her own for a second, muddy with drugs and confusion, the typical hospital cocktail.

 _Go to sleep,_ Regina willed her silently. The girl’s lips turned into a frown, but her lids were too heavy for her to keep open. They fell closed with a sigh leaving her lips, and sleep returned to her.

Regina wasted no time. She slipped not back for the shadows but perched instead upon the windowsill, pushing it open and stepping onto the ledge, silently sliding the glass shut behind her before thrusting herself from the sill. When she landed, it was paws that hit the ground, paws that carried her weight and paws that did not stop running until long after she had reached the treeline.


	11. Chapter 11 - Blood Debt

An attack in their woods was not a thing to be taken lightly, and that it was by a wolf of another pack had only raised suspicions. Tempers were high, and anger ran a steady thrum throughout the pack, tinting Regina’s world. Something was to be done, the creature had not only attacked one of their own and broke sacred laws of ancient times, but it had risked exposing them to humans. Regina still hadn’t confessed to Cora of the time she’d spent amongst them, had rolled in the leaves and rinsed in a stream seeking to rid herself of the smell of their world. She did not need their focus upon her, upon the possibility that a human had twice gotten too close. And in truth, she worried for the mortal – not all her pack were welcoming to their kind, and if they thought she was a threat to them drastic action might be taken. Regina did not wish harm upon the girl who had saved her… she owed her a great debt. 

 

A debt which she hoped to begin repaying that night if she could. It had been a few days since the attack, and the members of their clan had at last come to a conclusion of what to do, though there had been much contention indeed amongst the elders. Regina’s body itched – she had been all these days in her skins, and longed to transform, to feel the wind through her fur and to race through the trees. She thought to at last have her chance as the discussions came to a close,but caught Cora’s eye as her mother rose amongst the elders. From where she was sitting in the trees, Regina could still sense the fierceness of that glance. 

 

“Mother! Have they decided what we’re doing?” Regina asked. Cora’s lip twitched – she could tell what her daughter was doing. 

 

“They have. And you will not be a part of it.”

 

“Not a part of it?” Regina repeated. “Not a part of it? The wolf attacked me.” 

 

“And it also attacked a human girl. It is much larger an issue than you, Regina. This could be the start of a war if we are not careful. There is no room for mistakes, we can’t have a fledgling wolf causing trouble.” Cora’s features softened some, the line of her mouth becoming less harsh, her eyes lidding. She stepped closer to her daughter. “You understand, don’t you darling? What have I always told you – the good of the pack, remember?”

 

“I remember,” Regina bitterly replied. She was seething inside, angry that she hadn’t had the chance to administer justice and in doing so repay her debt. Her eyes befell her mother’s own before the power of that gaze bid hers to drop, some – though not all – of her anger cowed. “What will you do?”

 

“The beast is rabid. It must be attended to accordingly. But first we must find the creature, and others of the community need to be alerted. We’ll not be charged for what we must do, we have always taken care of our own kind in the manner that we have seen fit, without interruption. But the Others must be alerted that such a rogue creature exists and with such violent leanings.”

 

“What about its pack?” Hatred for the creature or no, to lose one of your pack was a great pain, something Regina had been fortunate enough to suffer but a bare few times and hoped to not have to endure again for a time. Her mother scoffed. 

 

“A creature like that can only be without a pack, or otherwise part of our enemies. Either way, the rules of our kind are clear – any who pose threat to our nature and our secrecy must be handled.” 

 

“Of course.” Regina nodded, turning from her mother. Behind her, she heard Cora’s voice. 

 

“It is strange, isn’t it? The way the smell of humans lingers in the air here, because of that rag. Or perhaps it was the wolf that attacked you – you’ve smelled of it since you returned that morning.” 

 

Regina froze, her foot raised to step falling back to the earth, her head turning to look back at her mother. A knowing sat in Cora’s eyes where they met her daughter’s own, and in that as exchange much was passed as in the words that followed. 

 

“There are many ways to pay a debt, other than in blood.” 


	12. Quite the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a short chapter to get the ball rolling again!

Dark hair and chocolate colored eyes haunted Emma’s dreams every night after her return home. She couldn’t figure out who the woman was but decided that she had more important things to worry about. After that first night home, Emma began making changes in her daily routine. She was determined to get vengeance against the wolf that nearly killed her. The blonde was also convinced that it was the same wolf responsible for Moon Moon’s injuries the night she found her. That only made Emma more determined to put the beast down like a rabid animal.

Emma had purchased various workout equipment and a couple of decent sized hunting knives. Every morning she got up before the sun and did her new workout regimen. Then she’d practice some hand-to-hand combat moves her father had shown her. Finally, she’d practice handling her new knives before strapping them onto her body for the day. She didn’t plan to be caught off guard again.

It was the day she had finally gone to the sporting goods store to look at guns that she got the news. The wolf had been found. The conservation officers were holding it for testing purposes. Emma was furious that the wolf would be allowed to live, even if for a short time, and began planning a break-in.

The conservation building wasn’t hard to find, and it was less difficult to get in to. Once she was in, she had to figure out were the animal holding cells were located. She decided to find the lobby of the building in the hopes of finding a directory of sorts. Twenty minutes later, Emma was headed to the basement of the deserted building, her heart thumping loudly in her chest. She could hear the soft noise of paws padding around on the concrete and paused to gather herself.

As she let out a big breath, all hell broke loose. There were so many noises that Emma couldn’t separate them into distinct sounds and when she peaked around the corner, all she could see was various colors of fur entangled in a mass of writhing bodies.

She watched in wide-eyed horror as the walls were splattered with bright red blood. The mass of bodies slowly dispersed, the surviving wolves backing out of the cell. There was a lone wolf left on the floor. It was enormous and blood was trickling out of a handful of large wounds. Her breath caught in her throat as realization hit her. This was the wolf that attacked her. This wolf was just killed by a bunch of other wolves. How the hell did those wolves even get into the building?

As Emma sat processing everything that had just happened the wolves had taken notice of her presence. They made their way around the corner and surrounded her. When she finally noticed, she gulped and slowly got to her feet. The wolves herded her out of the building and into the forest.

Emma didn’t try to run away. She knew better than that and she really didn’t want to die. So, she allowed the creatures to guide her through the trees for what seemed like forever.

Eventually, they arrived at what Emma could only assume was the pack’s home. There were wolves everywhere and they were all different colors and sizes. Emma was in awe and took in as much of her surroundings as she could while still being herded further into the area. Right before she was ushered into a small cave, Emma caught a glimpse of a black and white wolf that looked suspiciously like Moon Moon, but before she could do anything she was enveloped in darkness.

There was something very unusual happening and Emma was caught in the middle of it all. She had already looked for an escape route from the cave she had been corralled in to with no luck. Instead, she sat and processed everything. These were not normal wolves. No way in hell. And she had totally seen Moon Moon outside. Emma struggled to put the pieces together as she awaited her fate in the damp darkness.

**Author's Note:**

> This story is still being developed and I have no idea when updates will be posted or if I will even continue writing this. Reviews are always welcome! If there are any typos, please point them out for me!
> 
> Thanks for reading!  
> Your friendly neighborhood spidey


End file.
